Describe actions to prevent lawsuits and appropriate steps to do when sued

Standards of care define the level of care that is expected of the patient under similar circumstances from a nurse of the similar level of qualification. Understanding the laid down standards of care for practitioners as described by the American Nurses Association is critical. The understanding will be important in ensuring that any patient care aligns with the standard of care required and that patient outcomes are as would be expected. Understanding the standard of care also comes hand in hand with ensuring a thorough understanding of the laid down scope of practice for the nurse practitioner. Nurse practitioners in the State of Maryland have been allowed to practice within the certain scope of practice which guides what they can or cannot do, the procedures and their prescriptive authority (Raveesh, Nayak & Kumbar, 2016).

Written consent should be documented to indicate that the patient understood the procedure, its risks, and benefits and knowingly consented to the procedure. Documentation of patient's refusal of treatment is also essential where the patient must sign off any refusal to undergo a therapeutic procedure or medication against medical advice, this documentation is critical in protecting against negligence lawsuits. Patient documentation of each patient interaction sessions such as findings on assessments, medications given, dosages and other interventions given such as health education referrals among others should also be documented to establish evidence that the standard care was provided to the patients (Alkouri, AlKhatib & Kawafhah, 2016). The documentation should be well maintained and stored to ensure ease of retrieval when and if needed.

Nursing care practice is a dynamic field and there are consistent changes and updates on the interventions recommendations for patient care. The nurse practitioner should then ensure not to discuss the suit or the case with anyone else and should not admit guilt apart from the attorney provided to them by the malpractice insurance carrier. The nurse them must share all the details of the case with the attorney comprehensively furnishing him or her with adequate information that can be useful in litigation of the case. In situations where the practitioner does not have an insurance carrier, the nurse should ensure not to admit guilt and immediately seek a private attorney. The practitioner should then provide the attorney with the details of the case as per need and maintain all documentation to the case.

Describe the term standard of care and how a practicing clinician can keep us with the standard of care. The continued nursing practice education provides updates on evidence-based patient care interventions and other professional updates which contributed to improved patient care and improved quality of care in the delivery of patient care. Safe patient care is one of the underpinnings of nursing standards of care hence through the continuing education, nurses are able to maintain safe patient care. Nurse practitioners can keep up with the standards of care through enhancing the adoption of and generation of evidence-based practice. As a nurse practitioner, evidence-based practice is an imperative to practice and a critical aspect in nursing care provision. Through evidence-based practice, nurse practitioners are able to maintain the standard of care as defined by the nursing standards of practice (Charlotte, 2014).